Yesterday at the session at the National Assembly, Armenian Acting PM Nikol Pashinyan spoke about the closedown of Alaverdi Copper Smelting Plant, cessation of Teghout copper and molybdenum mine and the situation around Amulsar mine. “It is impossible for any international partner, the investor’s interest, to be more important than the interests of our country, state and people. “

“The Environmental Inspection carried out an inspection in Alaverdi Copper Smelting Plant and finds out that emissions have been exceeded for many years. We say that it can’t be like this, we want this plant to operate, but there is statistics on cancer, etc. We don’t want to intoxicate our people anymore. What the reaction is, no or yes, let’s work, but no, marching out in the streets, wanting working places, stopping the plant, closing it down.

Next is Amulsar: we say we need facts and arguments that there are no dangers for Sevan. They say there is no, believe us and our documents. By the way, there is a criminal case initiated at Criminal Investigation Department on concealing facts in the environmental impact assessment. Now, who to believe?

Do you remember what was going on in Teghout, people were saying” Don’t do it, just don’t”. What is happening in Teghout now? Teghout has stopped and it is unclear what will be next. So many forests have been destroyed to open a mine and to start operations, now there is a problem and we don’t know how to solve this problem.

This economic system is not taking us anywhere: our economy was based on digging the soil and selling it under the formulation of exporting. Did we want an export like that?

We don’t want this course. We want to put our country on the course of sustainable economic growth and to make our country from an agricultural country to a high technological country, where work is encouraged,’ Nikol Pashinyan said.